1- Commentary
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Danny Tarkanian wins Nevada Republican congressional primary
3 - Glendale to Rename Street in Honor of Artsakh
By Alejandra Reyes-Velarde
4 - In Long Beach, Memorial Service Honors Former Gov. George Deukmejian
5 - GALAS Marks Two Decades of Service to LGBTQ Armenian Community
6 - USC Thornton Friends Of Armenian Music Celebrates 39th Anniversary
7- Special Works
By Rostom Sarkissian
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1 - Another Anti-Armenian Writer Exposed
For Making Baseless Allegations
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
It seems that not a week passes without coming across another
mysterious writer who undertakes to contribute a puff piece about
Azerbaijan and to undermine the reputation of Armenia and Armenians
around the world.
The latest such writer is Peter Tase who posted an article titled,
“Russia’s Foreign Agents in America: Trump Connection of Armenian
Lobbyists,” on June 11, 2018 on the Eurasia Review website.
This extremely biased article resorts to exaggerations and untrue
allegations in order to link Armenia and various Armenian individuals
to Russia, and even more surprisingly, to Pres. Donald Trump.
To begin with, Tase disparages Iranian-Armenian Gevork Vartanian’s
praiseworthy actions during World War II by calling him “one of the
most prolific Soviet Armenian spies.” In fact, Vartanian provided a
major service to the entire world by thwarting Hitler’s plans to
assassinate Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt while meeting as allies
at the Tehran Conference in 1943. Tase undermines his own credibility
by mentioning that CIA director Stansfield Turner and upper echelons
of the agency trusted Vartanian. Why would they trust Vartanian if he
were such a bad guy? Incredibly, Tase even states that he is
suspicious of Vartanian because he spoke Armenian.
Tase then picks on two Russian Armenian journalists—Margarita Simonyan
and Gayane Chichakyan—who work for RT (Russia Today) TV. Their only
guilt is that they are “good looking” women, and without any evidence
Tase accuses them of being “ethnically Armenian, as are many other
‘Russian’ agents of influence.”
Next is the turn of Artur Chilingarov, Vice Speaker of the Russian
Duma, whom Tase attacks for being an Armenian. Chilingarov’s fault is
that he was sitting at the next table over from Russian President
Vladimir Putin at a banquet in Moscow. Chilingarov was honored by the
Soviet Union and the Russian Federation for his exploits as a
prominent polar explorer—and not for being an Armenian, as Tase
claims.
Perhaps the most sinister part of Tase’s article is falsely claiming
that Armenian-American reporter Emil Sanamyan is “a foreign agent.”
This is a completely untrue allegation. Mr. Sanamyan told me that he
is not now, nor has he ever been registered with the U.S. Justice
Department as “a foreign agent.” I hope Mr. Sanamyan will sue Peter
Tase and his website for damaging his reputation. To show the degree
of Tase’s blind hatred for anything Armenian, he accuses Sanamyan of
working for “Americans for Artsakh,” an organization “established to
bring legitimacy to the war crimes and illegal occupation by the
Russian-backed Armenian military that has been ruthlessly perpetrated
(long before Ukraine and Georgia, the Russian government has used
Armenian soldiers to occupy Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory, arrest
development and derail a Pro-Western course of Azerbaijan).” Not a
single word is true in that sentence. The Russian government did not
use Armenian soldiers. Armenians liberated themselves from
Azerbaijan’s oppressive regime which committed mass crimes against
Armenians of Artsakh for decades. In fact, Russian soldiers sided with
Azerbaijan and killed many innocent inhabitants of Artsakh.
Furthermore, “Americans for Artsakh” was a non-profit funded by
Armenian-Americans. Sanamyan told me that he worked there as an unpaid
employee. In addition, when Sanamyan worked at the Office of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic in Washington, D.C., the organization was
not yet registered with the U.S. Justice Department as “a foreign
agent.” Also, Tase makes up a fake title by claiming that “Sanamyan
was in charge of information warfare and propaganda as Director of the
NKR Public Affairs Office.”
There are also several minor errors in Tase’s article which show his
lack of knowledge of Armenian issues. For example, Tase writes about
Armenia’s independence from “Soviet Russia,” instead of the Soviet
Union. The second nonsense is Tase’s comment on a photo of Pres. Serzh
Sargsyan with Pres. and Mrs. Trump at the United Nations in New York.
Tase attributes the photo to the lobbying effort of the
Armenian-American community. However, no lobbying was necessary. If
Tase did a little more research, he would have discovered another
photo of Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev with Pres. and Mrs. Trump
at the UN, along with photos of many other heads of state. Another
intentional misrepresentation by Tase is that Sanamyan’s wife, a
graduate of Cass Business School, City University London, was one of
the “Major Donors and Sponsors” of the University in 2012. Tase fails
to mention that Sanamyan’s wife was listed under the smallest amount
category—less than $1,000—which does not make her a major donor.
Tase’s next attack on Armenians is their alleged connection to Pres.
Trump. This is where Tase makes his most ignorant accusation. The
reality is that there are hardly any Armenians who know Pres. Trump;
so Tase invents imaginary connections. Tase even dares to misrepresent
my 2016 article headlined, “Armenians Should Reach Out to Trump
Through Republican Friends in Congress.” If Tase was an honest
reporter, he would have quoted from my article which stated:
“Armenian-American ties with the President-elect are practically
non-existent.”
Tase also misrepresents the statement posted by Aram Hamparian,
Executive Director of ANCA, offering to work with the newly-elected
President. There is no indication in that sentence of any link between
Armenian-Americans and Trump. Scraping the bottom of the barrel, Tase
comes up with a totally unknown name, Andy Surabian, as “another
Armenian political operative deep inside the Trump White House.”
Surabian is described as “Steve Bannon’s political advisor in the
Trump administration and a campaign veteran.” Unfortunately for Tase,
neither Bannon nor Surabian work at the White House anymore.
Tase then mentions the name of Keith Nahigian, as “perhaps the most
influential and high-ranking Armenian Diaspora member and registered
lobbyist associated with the Trump campaign…who was tapped to head
Trump’s transition team in 2017.” This is yet another red herring.
Nahigian has no connection with the Armenian community. I sent him an
email two years ago and I am still waiting for his answer. That’s how
close Nahigian is to the Armenian community.
Tase prematurely refers to congressional candidate Danny Tarkanian
(R-Nevada) as a member of “the Armenian lobby with access to President
Trump.” Should Tarkanian win his House seat in November, we shall be
able to determine how close is his connection to the White House.
Incredibly, Tase mentions Kim Kardashian as an Armenian
“home-porn-turned-Twitter lobbyist” who has met Trump on numerous
occasions—most recently in May 2018,” successfully securing a pardon
from Pres. Trump for a (non-Armenian) grandmother serving a
life-sentence in prison. Tase would have made a more convincing case
if Kardashian had made a request from Pres. Trump on an Armenian
issue. There has been no link between Kardashian as “an Armenian
lobbyist” and Pres. Trump.
Tase falsely concludes his baseless and shameful article by stating:
“These extensive and deep links to the incumbent inexperienced
president and his campaign create potential national security
implications and deserve scrutiny to ensure that Putin’s ongoing
meddling into the U. S. Homeland would crumble and miserably fail.”
I don’t think Pres. Trump needs Armenian-Americans to establish
communication with Pres. Putin. Contrary to Tase’s unfounded
allegations, Pres. Trump has had a direct link to the Kremlin for a
long time and does not need anyone else’s assistance.
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2- Danny Tarkanian wins Nevada Republican congressional primary
By Lisa Hagen
(Combined Sources)—Danny Tarkanian won his Republican congressional
primary on Tuesday, June 5, in the race to replace outgoing Rep. Jacky
Rosen (D-Nev.) in November.
Tarkanian, who is fresh off a narrow defeat in the district south of
Las Vegas in 2016, overcame eight Republican challengers to win the
primary Tuesday. Rosen, a freshman lawmaker, is vacating her seat to
run for Senate.
The Nevada businessman was originally running as a GOP primary
challenger to incumbent Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) but switched to run
for the House seat after being urged by President Donald Trump.
Tarkanian, the son of legendary University of Nevada, Las Vegas
basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, received an endorsement from Trump
after announcing that he would run for the 3rd District’s open seat.
Danny Tarkanian ran against Rosen last cycle, but lost by only 1
point, while the president won the district by a similar margin in
2016.
This is Tarkanian’s third congressional bid since 2012. He’s also run
for the state Senate, Nevada secretary of state, U.S. Senate and
Nevada System of Higher Education Regent.
Trump congratulated Tarkanian on his big GOP primary win in Nevada.
“Danny worked hard and got a great result. Looking good in November!”
Trump said in a tweet.
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3 - Glendale to Rename Street in Honor of Artsakh
By Alejandra Reyes-Velarde
In Glendale, there’s a Dublin Drive, a Calafia Street, a Baghdad Place
and an Eulalia Street—all named after places in the world, some of
which have a connection to the city and others that don’t. But despite
being home to the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia,
Glendale has no streets named in honor of Armenian American
contributions, according to at least one city official.
That will change soon, after the City Council made the historic 4-0
vote on June 12 to move forward with changing the name of a two-block
portion of Maryland Avenue between Harvard Street and Wilson Avenue to
Artsakh Street after the Republic of Artsakh, a disputed territory
between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“It’s overdue to have some sort of street naming, not a part, not an
alley, but a modestly sized street with reference to the current
Armenian American community,” said Councilman Ara Najarian after
reciting a long list of street names in Glendale, pointing out how
arbitrary some name changes can be. “Folks, we have changed street
names before. It’s nothing new.”
The decision follows weeks of contentious debate among business
owners, Glendale residents and Unified Young Armenians, a group of
activists who proposed the name change in February.
More than 60 speakers were present at Tuesday’s meeting, which
overflowed into the lobby, leading city officials to make room in the
Glendale Police Department across the street for people to watch the
meeting via television. The majority of attendees were members of
Unified Young Armenians, donning black shirts with the organization’s
logo. Few business owners and other opponents attended, despite having
a strong presence at a Planning Commission hearing in May.
Some speakers at the meeting said business owners didn’t attend
because they faced intimidation by some members of Unified Young
Armenians. One UYA member reportedly posted boycotting signs on
businesses after their owners voiced opposition during the Planning
Commission meeting.
Those who did attend Tuesday’s meeting said they supported a street
name change or plaza in honor of their Armenian neighbors, but they
opposed the location, because it would be costly to businesses.
The UYA initially sought consideration of changing the name of Sanchez
Drive to Artsakh Drive.
The City Council studied the options presented by the UYA, and
ultimately unanimously selected the two blocks of Maryland Avenue
between Wilson and Harvard out of six other options presented to them
by staff.
“I understand the reason for wanting a commemoration of Artsakh,” said
Pamela Spiszman, chief executive of Pegasus Home Health Care, which
has offices in the stretch of Maryland that would be affected. “I know
what it’s like to have a history of genocide. As a Jewish American, I
understand how important it is to maintain a cultural identity … [But
it] does not need to also harm a whole group of business owners.”
The resolution passed Tuesday included an appropriation of $131,000
for businesses—$1,000 for each of the 131 businesses on the two-block
portion of the street—to help cover costs of reprinting materials with
new addresses. Also, businesses would have one year to make the
changes.
Business owners, however, said that amount isn’t enough. They said
they would incur thousands of dollars in costs, though the specific
amounts cited varied from $7,000 to $40,000.
Some council members and public speakers said those numbers seemed to
be exaggerated and a small price to pay to honor a group of people so
important to the community. Supporters of the name change also argued
that it would bring tourists to the area that would make up for any
costs.
One speaker said that by changing the name to Artsakh Street, Glendale
would be taking a political position because the Republic of Artsakh,
more commonly known by its formal name Nagorno-Karabakh, is a disputed
territory.
Members of UYA said the proposal to change the name was meant to
highlight Glendale’s diversity and unite the community. That feeling
was shared among some community members, and was strongly supported by
the Armenian National Committee of Glendale (ANCA Glendale)—who
expressed strong support for the option to rename Maryland Avenue to
Artsakh Street.
“The area, which is situated in the Glendale Arts and Entertainment
district sees significant foot traffic, attracts thousands of shoppers
every day, and is home to several local Armenian American business who
would welcome the name change,” said ANCA Glendale Community Outreach
Director Margarita Baghdasaryan, after the March 13 council decision
to move forward with the renaming.
“As a lifelong Glendale resident, I’m absolutely honored to have the
opportunity to speak on behalf of my Armenian friends and neighbors,”
said resident Edgar Gonzalez during the meeting. “Changing the name of
two city blocks…I see as simply a small gesture. Glendale needs to
be an example to everyone about inclusion and respect.”
But at times the debate became divisive.
Following public comments, Mayor Zareh Sinanyan expressed his
disappointment with messages he said he and other council members have
received. He read some aloud.
“This individual writes the following: ‘We have a wonderful history
here already. The name Artsakh has nothing to do with the history and
well-being of Glendale. We have already given them property for a
museum.’”
Sinanyan appeared to be baffled and angry as he read the comments.
“Apparently, the wonderful history here already doesn’t include the 40
years of presence and contribution by the Armenian American
community,” he said. “This community just doesn’t exist for this
individual … To deny an entire people any inkling of their presence in
Glendale, people who are here in large numbers and who have
contributed so much to this city, it’s just not fair.”
Councilwoman Paula Devine was the only member who opposed the name
change, and she abstained during the vote.
She said supporting the name change is counter to her support of small
businesses, and suggested creating a plaza named after Artsakh that
would be a “win-win” for businesses and the Armenian American
community.
Ultimately, the council decided it should not be a big deal to
officially name a street in honor of the Armenian American community.
While the majority of the council supported the name change, members
agreed, however, that there should be concern over how it will affect
businesses.
“I think this city is offering to change the name of a street, so we
have to take the responsibility to … pay for the expenses,” said
Councilman Vrej Agajanian. “They can bring their receipts, whatever
cost they are going through, and we have to accept.”
There was no further discussion about how exactly the city would cover
the costs and to what extent.
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4 - In Long Beach, Memorial Service Honors Former Gov. George Deukmejian
It was not an elegy, but an ode—to a life well lived.
Gov. George Deukmejian, who died last month, was remembered on June 9
in a series of affectionate eulogies during a public memorial in Long
Beach, his adopted hometown.
Hundreds sat in the wood-paneled Terrace Theater for the “celebration
of life,” as Deukmejian’s political colleagues and proteges, as well
as his son, lauded the two-term Republican governor—describing him as
a self-effacing, but dynamic leader who reshaped California’s judicial
system and reined in spending.
But those tasked with summing up Deukmejian’s 89-year life also spoke
about a man who cherished moments of calm while away from the
political fray; who held to his beliefs but was unafraid to change his
mind; and who acted on what was moral, rather than what was
politically expedient, even if it meant standing against his political
allies.
“He was a good, decent, humble man,” said former Long Beach Mayor Bob
Foster, “who viewed himself as ordinary, but who did extraordinary
things.”
Deukmejian, born in upstate New York, built a 29-year career in
California politics, and was highly regarded by Republicans and
Democrats alike for his bipartisanship and integrity. He served as
governor from 1983 to 1991. But in Long Beach, he was equally known
for his decades-long love affair with the city as for his political
accomplishments.
During the memorial, Foster and four other speakers led the audience
through the highlights of the governor’s political career and the less
well-known anecdotes of his personal life: The time he held firm
against the gun lobby to sign a bill banning assault weapons, his
actions stoked by the slaughter of children in a Stockton schoolyard.
His penchant for strolling down Belmont Shore’s Second Street in
search of his beloved ice cream. His determination to crack down on
crime and appoint tough-willed, conservative justices. And the
moment when the “Iron Duke” momentarily went “soft on crime”—slapping
his knee, rather than spanking one of his daughters as his wife,
Gloria, had urged after the child misbehaved.
The soft on crime moment came, jokingly, from George Deukmejian, Jr.,
who offered a glimpse into his father’s personal side that the public
rarely saw, someone who easily blended in as the average, lawn-mowing
American family man.
“His face was familiar, but he was often misidentified,” his son said,
recounting the time a museum tour guide discussed how unpronounceable
she found the name Deukmejian—with the governor standing in front of
her.
There was also the time Deukmejian video recorded his son, one year
old at the time, sitting under a Christmas tree—with an electrical
cord in his mouth (though the filming suddenly halted when Deukmejian
realized the child aimed to bite the live wire).
Or the time that same troublesome son performed a splash-happy cannon
ball into the pool as the governor snoozed on a raft.
“People say my dad never cursed,” Deukmejian, Jr. said, reminiscing
about how his bratty behavior often derailed his dad’s frequent
longing for peace and quiet. “But he called me the offspring of a
female house pet.”
The audience erupted, laughing and applauding.
The other speakers were:
Marv Baxter, a retired California Supreme Court justice who recalled
that Deukmejian set his sites on the governor’s job “because the
attorney general doesn’t appoint judges– the governor does”; Ken
Khachigan, Deukmejian’s senior campaign strategist and a family
friend, who portrayed how revered the governor became in the Armenian
community; and Steve Merksamer, the governor’s chief of staff from
1983 to 1987, who detailed the tough choices his boss and mentor made
as the state’s chief executive.
The trio, as well as Foster, rattled off Deukmejian’s political
accomplishments: appointing more than 1,000 justices, boosting the
assault-weapons ban, balancing the state budget without raising taxes
and persuading the University of California Board of Regents to divest
from companies in then-racially segregated South Africa. Nelson
Mandela himself acknowledged that California’s policy shifts helped
bring an end to apartheid.
“He was a wonderful man,” Baxter said. “And a great governor.”
Merksamer, who once worked in the state Attorney General’s Office,
remembered meeting with Deukmejian during his campaign to become
California’s chief prosecutor in 1978. Deukmejian wanted to meet with
Merksamer and another colleague to learn more about the Attorney
General’s Office and how it operated.
“He didn’t ask for contributions, didn’t talk about himself at all,”
Merksamer said. “He just wanted to know how the system could be made
better. And he picked up the check, too.”
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5 - GALAS Marks Two Decades of Service to LGBTQ Armenian Community
WEST HOLLYWOOD—The Gay and Lesbian Armenian Society (GALAS) celebrated
its 20th anniversary with a special gala held at Vertigo Event Venue
in Glendale, Calif., on June 2. The evening was hosted by comedians
Lory Tatoulian, Mary Basmadjian and Movses Shakarian. Over 180 members
of the Armenian LGBTQ community, their families, friends and
supporters reflected on past achievements, and looked forward to
continuing to empower new generations of Armenians who seek a platform
where their ethnic and sexual identities can converge.
Over twenty years ago, a small group of LGBTQ Armenians felt the need
to create an organization that would foster a sense of community and
belonging. At the time, many LGBTQ Armenians had been ostracized from
their families, friends and the Armenian community at large. What
started as mostly a platform for social interactions, grew quickly
into a formidable organization that has become the leading voice for
the Armenian LGBTQ community in Los Angeles and worldwide.
Early on, GALAS realized the need to foster a safe and supportive
network for LGBTQ people of Armenian descent. Various programs aimed
at empowering members of the community have been launched throughout
the organization’s existence. These include pro bono psychotherapy
services; college scholarships; outreach to public schools with
significant Armenian student populations; ‘coming out’ support to
individuals and their families; and showcasing talents within the
arts.
This year marked a renewed pledge to building bridges between GALAS
and other LGBTQ and Armenian community organizations. GALAS also plans
on doing more in terms of uniting LGBTQ Armenians worldwide by
creating affiliate chapters. Raising awareness on the plight of the
LGBTQ community in Armenia and throughout the Diaspora is also a
priority for the GALAS. In recent years, a close partnership with the
Yerevan-based PINK Armenia NGO has been developed, which aims to
provide support for the full protection of the rights of LGBTQ people
in Armenia.
GALAS honored several LGBTQ Armenian activists at this year’s gala,
including James Adomian, Mamikon Hovsepyan, Rudy Akbarian and Azad
Mazmanian.
GALAS presented the “Superstar Award” to Openly gay comedian, actor
and impressionist James Adomian—best known for his work on Comedy
Bang! Bang!, Chapo Trap House, Last Comic Standing, and The Late Late
Show with Craig Ferguson. Adomian, the grandson of Armenian-American
mathematician George Adomian, is a proponent of LGBTQ rights who
recently criticized Saturday Night Live for not casting an openly gay
man in 30 years.
The “Changemaker Award” was presented to Mamikon Hovsepyan, executive
director of PINK Armenia and Armenia liaison for GALAS, for his role
in safeguarding LGBTQ and human rights in Armenia. Hovsepyan, a
leading activist in Armenia, traveled from Yerevan to Los Angeles for
this special occasion.
Transgender Army reservist Rudy Akbarian was honored with the
“Emerging Leader Award” after recently speaking out publicly against
President Trump’s plan to ban transgender individuals from military
service. Akbarian has been an active member of the LGBTQ community,
working with the Los Angeles LGBT Center, helping homeless youth find
employment.
Azad Mazmanian, a brave member of the Armenian LGBTQ community, was
honored with the “Trailblazer Award” having been the first organizer
to form a social circle in the 90’s, which eventually evolved into
GALAS.
Performances included Element Band, known for their distinctive
musical arrangements that preserve and popularize traditional Armenian
songs.
GALAS raised a substantial amount in response to its $1,000 Angel
Donor campaign which will be running through the end of the year.
Donations were also made to GALAS and PINK Armenia during the Gala.
For more information about GALAS, visit www.galasla.org.
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6 - USC Thornton Friends Of Armenian Music Celebrates 39th Anniversary
LOS ANGELES—On May 6, 2018, the Board of Directors of the USC Thornton
Friends of Armenian Music celebrated their 39th Anniversary at the
Louvre Banquet Hall. Under the auspices of Thornton School Dean Dr.
Robert Cutietta and Assistant Dean of Advancement, Dr. Phoenix
Delgado, friends and supporters packed the banquet hall to celebrate
the organization’s 39 years of promoting and supporting Armenian
musical heritage. On this occasion, the Past Presidents of the USC
Thornton Friends of Armenian Music were honored for their leadership
and direction through the years. “We are indebted to our founding
members for their hard work and commitment and would like to express
our thanks and appreciation for their dedicated service and support,”
said president Irene Sassounian. “We wanted to acknowledge and
recognize our Past Presidents who were instrumental in the
establishment, success and perseverance of this worthwhile
organization. It was through their efforts we were able to continue to
provide support to students of Armenian descent at USC’s Thornton
School of Music.” Sassounian also expressed her thanks to Cutietta and
Delgado, for their effective leadership and the celebration of the
past 39 years. The Past Presidents were honored to accept their awards
from Cutietta, and to receive his personal recognition and
congratulations. The Past Presidents recognized on this occasion were:
Eric Avazian, Audrey B. Gregor, Fred Mickaelian Jr., Elise Tashjian,
Artemis Bedros, Diana Artunian, Maro Makasjian, Lily Ring Balian and
Hilda Fidanian.
Under the leadership of Irene Sassounian, the organization is
embarking on a course to reinvigorate participation and membership by
planning major concerts, music lectures, seminars and symposiums in
the near future. Established in 1984, the Scholarship Endowment Funds
continue to present awards from eight to ten recipients each year.
Another achievement was the formation of the USC Armenian Music
Collection in the Doheny Music Library which was enriched with musical
notes, scores and books by the generous donation of the Armenian
community.
The highlight of the afternoon was a musical program, selected by vice
president Irene Arathoon. Noted flutist Salpy Kerkonian and her
mother Sossi Kerkonian playing the harp, delighted guests with the
music of Charles Aznavour and others. The Elixir Trio of Lucy
Nargizian, piano; Samual Chilingarian, Violin; and Fang Fang Xu,
Cello, performed the compositions of Sergei Rachmaninoff, Astor
Piazzolla and Aram Khachaturian.
For more information, contact Irene Sassounian, (818) 203-7221.
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7- Special Works
By Rostom Sarkissian
In a surreptitiously taped video by one of his own AKP party members,
Turkey’s president Recep Erdogan is caught telling his party officials
that “our party organization must conduct very different work on the
HDP” for the upcoming election in Turkey. The types of “very different
work” are left unsaid, but the intent is made clear: a voter
suppression effort to reduce the voter count of the HDP. Erdogan tells
his members, “I can’t speak these words outside. I am speaking with
you here. Why? Because if the HDP falls below the election threshold
it would mean that we would be in a much better place.” The threshold
he is referring to is the 10 percent of the vote that political
parties must receive to enter Parliament.
Erdogan then tells his party officials to put a “tight marking” on the
voters in each district. “You know who is who. If our neighborhood
representatives do not know who is who, then they should resign. You
will take the voter lists for each ballot box and conduct special
work.” In the same meeting, he tells his members to gain AKP
majorities in the monitoring committees in order to “finish the job in
Istanbul before it has even started.”
A few days later, political violence erupted in Kurdish populated town
of Suruc where three Kurds, and the brother of an AKP politician were
killed in a bout of political violence. The details of that incident
are murky, with the AKP blaming the Kurds, and the co-Chair of the HDP
(predominately Kurdish People’s Democratic Party) claiming that this
is a part of the “special works” that Erdogan had called for. This
type of political violence can serve the AKP in two ways: first, by
instilling fear in Kurdish voters, while rallying AKP members around
the “martyred” brother of the AKP candidate. Political violence is the
most extreme “special work” that can be employed, but Given Erdogan’s
emphasis on the voter rolls, election monitors need to be vigilant
about more basic forms of voter suppression that take place on the
individual, ground level.
In 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was chastised by
the Obama Administration and the American press for telling his
supporters in a video that “Arab voters are coming out in droves to
the polls…”, and then using their higher turnout to motivate his
supporters to “[g]et out to vote, bring your friends and family, vote
Likud in order to close the gap between us and Labor.” In comparison,
that was a benign attempt at rallying his own voters versus Erdogan’s
outright call for his comrades to do whatever “special works” are
necessary to win the vote.
The United States and the European Union need to condemn Erdogan’s
call for ballot box stuffing, voter intimidation, political violence
or whatever “special works” he has in mind to suppress the HDP vote,
and ensure his own victory. The OSCE and other election monitors need
to redouble their effort to ensure a fair and free vote to keep the
country from plunging into political violence and destabilizing an
already turbulent region. The independent media needs to be vigilant
to and report freely any and all attempts to steal Turkey’s election.
Ultimately, it is up to Turkish voters to reject Erdogan’s call for
the disenfranchisement of 20 percent of Turkey’s population, and the
further erosion of Turkey’s democracy.
Rostom Sarkissian is a Los Angeles-based public policy professional
with more than 10 years of experience in campaigns, project
management, non-profit development and government and media relations.
He holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University’s
Kennedy School of Government and a B.A. in Diplomacy and World Affairs
from Occidental College. He served as a Coro Fellow in Pittsburgh,
PA, and is a two-time Richter Scholar who has conducted research about
Armenia and Javakhk.
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